


Seasons Change (But People Don't)

by CrushingOnSans



Series: Free To Us [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, But I'm horrible about tagging, Emotional Abuse, Family Abuse, I will do my best to add them here as we go along, M/M, One-Shot Collection, Physical Abuse, Prequel, The warnings will always be in the notes/summary of each chapter, more warnings to come, string theory, trigger warnings include, world-building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-10-14 14:22:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10538307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrushingOnSans/pseuds/CrushingOnSans
Summary: He could feel his LV even now, a near-physical weight surrounding his soul, shielding it and his magic from the repercussions of his sins. If he were to lose all of his LV, he would go mad. Monsters truly were naturally compassionate creatures, and for one to have the sins that he did without that protection would inevitably result in insanity. The guilt would weigh heavier than any LV ever could.Even having lost one point, it got to him sometimes. He would hide up in his bedroom, knees tucked to his chest and stare blank-eyed at a wall as he remembered the look on someone’s face as their families, their children were turned to dust before them, at his hands.He supposed he had Blue to blame for that. Not that he regretted it. Without his soulmate, he would still be trapped in his world. If he had never met him, he would still be the person he once was. But sometimes, he did wish he didn’t have to...feel.Abandonedbut full plot available, linked in end notes





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the prequel for String Theory. You don't need to have read that to read this, nor do you have to have read this to read that. It's merely a more in-depth description of what happened to bring all of them to the place they are at in the world. There will be minor spoilers for String Theory here, as well as minor spoilers in String Theory for this. That's just kinda how it goes with this.
> 
> This isn't going to be a story so much as a chronological one-shot collection of important moments. I see no real reason to add inconsequential filler and the like, so I'm only going to be writing the fun parts. What little detail needs to be included for in-between time I will include in the end notes. Feel free to ask me questions in the comments, there isn't much that is too big of a spoiler for this one.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kind of person Razz is, the relationship between the brothers, how Blue meets someone very important.
> 
> Before this chapter, Blue was pretty close to my usual interpretation of him. Just very outwardly bright and happy but definitely an adult capable of making adult decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Other chapters are not likely to be this long.
> 
> [Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU7co2-yn_Q) of the chapter.

Sans walked quickly along the path, keeping a sharp eye on the forest that surrounded them. He could feel the eyes on them, and he sneered. Cowards. They knew better than to even fucking  _ try _ . The forest was far too quiet, and the leaves shifted in a way that was almost more intimidating than the brothers themselves. There wasn’t much that was more intimidating than Sans and Papyrus. Mercenaries, known by the entire underground to carry out the will of anyone willing to pay. And if there was dust? Well, then all the better.

He could see the cabin they were here to find off in the distance, and he heaved a bored sigh, snapping a finger over his shoulder. With a nod, Papyrus slipped past him, walking quickly to the door. 

These dense motherfuckers should have known better than to hide somewhere so easily found. They were rebels, publicly shaming the crown and all but  _ asking _ to be dusted. They should have known someone would come, it was just bad luck for them that it happened to be  _ them _ . 

Ah, well. He wouldn’t be the one sweeping their dust off the floor. He didn’t give a shit. 

He approached the cabin easily, and Papyrus kicked in the door before stepping aside, allowing his Lord to precede him. 

_ As he should _ , Sans thought smugly, letting his magic flare up as he walked into the house as though he owned it. 

As the remains of the door slammed against the wall, there was a scream, and Sans cringed with annoyance. He looked to his left, seeing an older monster gathering several smaller figures to their chest as the one he assumed was the strongest took a moment to plant his feet. There was a moment where he looked brave, ready to defend his family to the last breath. Then he recognized who had come, and his eyes filled with terror. Sans suppressed a smile. He loved when they already  _ knew _ . 

Sans came to a stop in front of him, raising one brow as he took in the conditions they had been living in. Dirty dishes stacked in the sink, sleeping bags lining the floor, a half-finished ragdoll sitting in a heap at the base of the only chair in the room. Pitiful. 

He heaved a sigh. Now for the boring part. “I am here on behalf of the Queen,” he said loudly, his voice monotonous. Papyrus leaned casually against the doorframe, looking for all the world as though he were thinking about taking a nap right then and there. If it wasn’t for his hulking figure and the killing intent rolling off of him in waves, it probably would have put the rebels at ease. “I bring accusations against you, of treason. The punishment is death, to be served immediately upon trial. What do you have to say in your defense?”

None of them answered, a small monster in the very back bursting into terrified tears. He spared her an annoyed glance, signalling for Papyrus to shut her up. He pushed himself off the wall in response to the command, but the girl had already clapped both hands over her own mouth, shaking with fear as she tried to calm herself. 

“The Queen’s rule,” began the leader over the sound of her panicked breaths, “is one of death, and we will not sit here as she leads us to ruin!”

Sans sighed, looked up at him, bored with the formalities. “Is that all?”

He looked confused, as though he’d expected his passionate speech to incite some mercy. As though they hadn’t heard the same exact speech time and time again. As though a protestation of something he didn’t care to change, even if he could, would convince him to spare their worthless lives. “Wha--”

“Papyrus, do your duty.” Sans said, stepping back and allowing his mutt to stand next to him. Papyrus looked them all up and down, a blank sort of look in his eyelights that Sans couldn’t help but admire. There was a flash of intent, and the monsters looked confused by the emptiness of the feeling. They looked up, the older monster that was keeping the others back looking as though something was dawning on them. 

“Guilty.”

Sans smirked at the leader, watching as his emotions played freely across his face. “Well? Go ahead.”

“Wh-what? Ahead?” His voice was shaking, but there was hope in it, as though he were stupid enough to think that the Royal Judge’s pronouncement was anything but final. As though he thought that maybe the brothers would  _ care _ that they were all about to die.

Sans rolled his eyes, summoning a jagged bone and catching it neatly, swinging it once in his palm before grinning, allowing his eyes to black out.

It was always so much more fun this way. 

“ _ Run _ .”

~~~

Sans huffed in annoyance, glaring down at some dust that had found its way onto his shoe. As if these idiots hadn’t been annoying enough…

“MUTT!”

Papyrus was at his side in an instant, ready and waiting for orders. Sans didn’t bother to speak, instead pointing down at his boot. Papyrus immediately dropped to one knee, using his sleeve to clear the dust away.

While he was thus occupied, Sans allowed his stats to flash before him, a huff finding its way past his teeth as he saw that the kills hadn’t quite boosted him an entire LV. Who knows, maybe the one that Papyrus had killed without permission could have done it. He would have to punish him later. 

When the boot was clean, Sans looked around them, making certain they had all they needed to call the job done. “I believe we are finished here, Papyrus. Take us home, then inform Alphys that the job is done and we expect payment.”

“Yes, m’lord,” came the murmured reply, then he took Sans’ proffered arm and shortcutted them to their living room. 

Sans gave a snort of disgust at the contact, yanking his arm away as soon as they landed and stomping up the stairs. “Do not disturb me, mutt.”

“Of course, m’lord.”

~~~

Sans lay on his back, in his bed, staring up at the ceiling blankly. Sleep didn’t come easily anymore. It was worth it, of course, but a high LV did have some side effects that no one seemed to think of before they got a taste of it. 

Fuck, that first taste of it…

Sans smirked to himself, stretching out his left arm and watching the powerful bone move precisely as he commanded it to. He sighed after a moment, dropping the arm from where it was hanging in the air and rubbing his eyes. 

Well, if he wasn’t going to fall asleep…

He pushed himself up to sit, swinging his legs out of the bed and planting them firmly on the ground. The house was completely silent, as was to be expected this late at night. His good-for-nothing brother always managed to find sleep, no matter his LV. It was truly amazing how incredibly useless he always managed to be, despite things like reality. 

Opening his door hard enough for it to slam against the opposite wall, Sans waited for a moment, expecting the thump and scramble of his brother falling out of bed. When nothing came, he frowned, eyes narrowing. If that mutt had gone to Muffet’s again…

He stalked down the hall, every inch something meant to terrify even without his usual leather and dark metal armor, and slammed Papyrus’s door open. His mouth was curled into a snarl, ready to reprimand the skeleton inside for not being ready to come to his master’s aid. 

It was empty. 

He paused, the swore under his breath, looking around angrily. That mother _ fucker _ …

Spinning around, he went back to his room, donning his armor quickly before descending the steps. His rage was growing almost past what he knew he would be able to control, not that he had ever found much of a problem with that, and he stomped to the front door. 

Papyrus fucking  _ knew _ how it looked for Sans when he had to come get him from the bar, no matter what he did to him out front, in full view of the other patrons. He had been told, time and time again, to stop being so god-damn  _ shameful _ , but he just didn’t seem to be able to stop! Well, Sans was going to fucking teach him, and this time, he wasn’t even going to be so merciful as to wait until they were outside. 

Sans paused for a split second to adjust a strap of his breastplate, making sure that he was protected as much as possible. No matter how much LV he had, how dangerous he was seen to be, he still only had 1HP. There was no way he was about to risk some low-life motherfucker stealing all of his hard-earned EXP because of a loose strap. 

The pause, however, allowed for just long enough of a silence for Sans to realize that not everything was as quiet as he had first thought. There was some sort of clanking, echoing towards him from the direction of the...closet?

Carefully, he made his way towards the sound, pulling the door open and glaring at its contents. There was nothing, but the sounds were  _ clearly _ coming from here. 

If it was that fucking cat again, he was going to skin it alive. 

Leaning forward, he pushed a few coats aside, peering at the back wall. It was rickety, but serviceable, the same dark wood that made up the trim of the rest of the house. Frowning, he reached out, brushing his fingers along the paneling. As he searched along the cracks and crevices of the closet, there came another sound, a quiet, yet familiar voice murmuring something he couldn’t quite understand. 

Sans’ eyes widened for a moment before he growled, rearing back and driving his fist into the back of the closet. So the mutt had secrets, did he? Perhaps he would benefit from some fucking truth serum, in the usual form. 

To his surprise, the back wall of the closet shuddered, then, creaking, began to slide to one side. He just watched it for a moment before he huffed, pressing forward and stepping over the items neatly lined up on the floor of the closet. He had known there was a reason to keep these little-used objects neat and orderly. 

Behind the door, there were a set of steps, and Sans started down them, reveling in the click of his low heels, knowing that the sudden silence meant that his brother knew he was coming. There was no sudden scramble to hide anything, no attempt to run or to hide. 

He had trained the mutt well, after all.

Coming to the bottom of the steps, he beheld Papyrus, standing straight in front of...what the fuck? 

There was some kind of...machine? A tall, hulking, mess of a thing, much like Papyrus himself, standing in the back of a small room. The walls were covered in calculations and blueprints, and tools littered the floor, their user’s hands covered in grease. 

Sans’ eyes narrowed as he looked around, trying to determine the use of this room. He didn’t recognize anything of it, but that didn’t mean much. He’d never been good with the more practical side of science and math, instead preferring the more theoretical applications of the subjects. He remembered, somewhere in the back of his mind, that Papyrus used to work on the husks of old cars that had found their way underground while he was still in school, but in this moment, he couldn’t give less of a shit.

“What the fuck is all this?”

There was a long moment of silence, and Sans turned to look at him, snarling. There was nothing but the usual cold emptiness in his eyes, a trademark of his EXP and Sans’ careful training. Seeing the look on his face, Papyrus stiffened slightly, though he tried to hide it. 

“I don’t know, m’lord.”

Before he really knew what was happening, Papyrus was on the floor, the blankness of his eyes somehow having gone even blanker. Sans frowned at himself, shaking his aching fist slightly. He hated it when the LV did that. If he was going to hit something, he wanted to feel the give of their face under his hand, not the strange blank spots in his memory that came with real anger. 

Choosing to ignore it for the moment, he growled down at his brother, eyelights flaring. “How the fuck don’t you know?”

“I only started working on it a few weeks ago,” he answered, his voice flat and his eyes averted, as they should be. “I haven’t figured out its purpose yet.”

Sans’ eyes narrowed, and he sighed dismissively, turning away from his brother’s pathetic form to run his fingers over the dials of the machine. “It’s certainly…strange-looking,” he murmured to himself, pressing a button here and there and turning a few knobs. “Mutt!”

“Yes, m’lord?”

“I will give you a moment to prepare for your p--”

Suddenly, the screen a few inches over Sans’ head flickered to life, drawing his attention. There were lines of black code over a white screen, the picture hazy but still readable. He squinted, eyes flicking over the numbers, before he looked over his shoulder at his brother, about to ask a question. 

Then there was a burst of light, and he jumped back, more shocked than he could remember himself being in a long time. For a moment, he felt his soul expand in his chest, chasing the feeling of surprise and fear, but then it was gone, and he felt himself settle back into...himself. Spinning around, he stalked towards Papyrus, who was staring at the machine in absolute shock. 

He seized him by the collar, tugging him up to eye level and growling, “What the fuck did you build, and what the  _ hell _ is going on?”

“I...I don’t kn--”

Sans scoffed, tossing him aside and pulling back a foot, delivering a swift kick to his brother’s ribcage. Papyrus sucked in a sharp breath as one of his ribs gave under the steel toe of Sans’ boot, but he didn’t otherwise react, all too aware of the consequences if he did. 

“You--Fucking-- _ Imbecile!” _

Each word was followed by a kick, the sound of cracking bone filling the room alongside the light from the machine that Sans didn’t seem to notice expanding, growing closer to them with every moment. 

He leaned down, intending to pick Papyrus back up by the collar. 

Several things happened, then, one after the other. 

Papyrus looked up, catching sight of what was happening behind Sans, and his eyes widened in panic. Reaching out, he caught hold of the other’s reaching hand in a move he’d never dared use before, using the leverage to toss his brother off to the side and away from the machine. 

Sans, enraged beyond what he could ever remember being that his brother had  _ dared _ lay a hand on him, felt his anger blank him out.

The light from the machine, already so close, finished reaching the first figure it could find, enveloping Papyrus and pausing before, all at once, vanishing completely and taking the tall, broken skeleton with it. 

The only sound in the basement was the clack of Sans’ heel as he crossed the room, slowly coming back to himself as he realized his brother was gone. 

He knew he should feel something about this, other than a smug satisfaction, but he wasn’t entirely sure  _ what _ . 

Not that he would ever admit that aloud. 

There is a moment of silence, followed by another, as Sans just stares at the place where Papyrus just was. He’s not really sure...what? But he’s missing something. He’s pretty sure it’s one of those things that used to cause him so much pain, before he learned to make it go away. Papyrus’ LV is lower, so he still sometimes get these...nightmares, dreams that make him wake up looking like his soul is tearing in half. Afterwards, he used to want to hold Sans to his chest, as though double-checking that he was still there. 

When he had put a stop to that, Papyrus had cried. Big, messy, orange tears that flowed down his face silently, once Sans made it clear that he would not listen to blubbering. It would have  _ maybe _ been tolerable in a child, Toriel knows he’d put up with enough of it while he actually was a child, but for fuck’s sake, he had almost been twenty. He had to grow up at some point. 

Sans scoffed, kicking his boot against the floor as he tried to think of what to do. Papyrus was gone, and he--

There was another flash of light, making him jump before he swung around, summoning a bone club and snarling, fucking  _ daring _ it to take him too. This time, however, it was different. Instead of a growing ring, the light was focused on a single point, growing brighter by the second until it manifested in a specific shape, gaining color and definition all at once until suddenly, the shape was solid, stumbling forward into the room with a startled “Mweh!”

Sans kept his defensive stance, though he was beginning to wonder at the necessity of it as he took in the other’s appearance. He was wearing  a white T-shirt covered by a dark gray...leather? breastplate. He had matching gray shoulder pads, decorated in yellow and blue, and dark blue pants tucked into boots that were the same color blue as the trim on his shoulders and breastplate. His eyes were wide, from fear or surprise, Sans didn’t know or care. 

The newcomer turned to look at him, his upset turning to curiosity, and Sans frowned in recognition. That was  _ his _ face, or at least what he would look like if he was a fucking weakling who ran away from fights instead of confronting them head-on. Instead of dark purple, like his own, the other’s eyelights were a bright blue, brighter even than those god-awful boots. 

What the fuck was going on?

“Uh…” this...clone, spoke up, tilting his head to one side. “Hi! Not to be rude or anything, but who are you?”

Sans gave him an annoyed glance, trying to decide if he should be upset that the sound of what was apparently his own voice grated his ears. It was the cheerfulness of it, he decided. It was fucking awful.

“Shut up,” he growled, lowering the bone club and keeping his careful gaze on the other in case he decided to attack. He had seen a few sick fucks out on the streets try the whole “sweet” thing, and he was far past believing it. It felt like a different situation, however, considering that this particular monster had come out of a mysterious machine hidden in his basement. 

It was strange to watch his own face take on a look that was decidedly offended. He didn’t think he’d ever  _ seen _ himself make that face, though he was sure by now that he knew what it felt like on his face. Angry, in any form, was easy nowadays. 

“Well, you don’t have to be rude about it, geez.”

Sans looked at him incredulously. “Excuse me?”

His doppelganger shrugged slightly, looking a bit nervous. “I mean, it’s really not very nice to tell people to shut up. We don’t even know each other. You don’t seem very nice when you talk like that, and that’s no way at all to make friends!”

Sans just looked at him for a moment before snorting derisively. “Excuse me, princess. Shut the  _ fuck _ up,  _ please. _ ”

“Hey!” Sans struggled not to look surprised by the tone the other had suddenly taken on. “Watch your language!”

“I am the Magnificent and Malicious Sans, and you  _ will _ obey my commands!” he growled back, clenching his fists at his sides. He didn’t give a fuck if it  _ was _ a clone,  _ nobody _ told him what to do. 

This brighter version of himself, the imbecile, didn’t seem to care about anything he said after he heard him say his name. Instead, he smiled hugely, all of his annoyance seeming to disappear in one swoop, “Well, hello! My name is Sans, too! That is so cool! I’ve always wanted to meet--”

“ _ Shut up _ , you fucking moron. Did I give you permission to speak?”

The other made a face. “Why would I need permission to speak?”

“Because your damn voice is grating on my nerves!”

The other Sans laughed slightly, looking incredibly amused. “But we have the same vo--”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

His bone club was up before he really knew what he was doing, swinging in the other’s direction and full of intent to harm. The other’s eyes widened, and he ducked backwards, missing the swing by a tooth’s breadth. “Hey, wait--”

Sans swung again, snarling, but the other Sans’ eyelights seemed to harden slightly, and he summoned his own weapon, a bone club surrounded by the other’s blue magic. It met Sans’ in midair, and he found himself surprised by the jarring strength of it. 

Taking a step back, he growled quietly, the sound rumbling deep in his chest for a moment before he struck again. Before he could blink an eye, however, the other ducked under the blow, swinging his own weapon out and catching Sans in the legs before spinning, dodging the wild swing of his weapon as he fell to the side. 

Before he could even roll over, he felt the press of the other’s summoned club on the back of his ribcage. 

“What is  _ wrong _ with you?” 

Growling, he kicked out to the side, bringing the other down with a yelp and lifting himself quickly to his knees as soon as he felt the contruct leave his vertabrae. Spinning around, he caught his copy around the throat, slamming him to the ground before he could do anything to react. He smirked down at the other, enjoying the desperate look on his face as he dropped the bone, reaching up to attempt to push his hands away. 

Sans let go of the bones of the other’s neck with one hand, capturing his wrists and effectively pinning him to the ground, helpless. 

“Now,” he growled, letting his magic flare up in a show of his admittedly impressive strength. “Where the fuck is my property?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things that happen between this chapter and the next:  
> Blue says he has no idea where Razz's "property" is, and is horrified when he learns that he's talking about his brother. Razz doesn't give a shit what this weakling thinks of him, and decides to keep this anomaly here until he can figure out how to get Slim back (not out of any affection, he's not really capable of that), just because Slim is a useful and well-trained tool that has become easy to utilize), _then_ he'll kill him. He doesn't say this out loud, but Blue figures out the basics when he's taken upstairs and tied to the couch.
> 
> (also, just as a note, Blue does not wear a scarf or gloves yet. You will find out the reason for this later, but he doesn't have them now)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have heavily changed the way that I am planning to deliver this story, in case you are wondering why this had three chapters and now has one. I didn't delete any content, the three chapters were just put into one and a small amount of content was added to the end. Make sure you go back and read the last few paragraphs of the last chapter, as well as the end notes.  
> I can't stress the importance of reading the end notes of this fic (for the most part). I will not be writing every piece of this story, if only because I want to get it finished quickly so that things can make sense in String Theory, and so I will be summarizing things that happen between chapters in the end notes. This could be several chapter's worth of information in a normal story, compressed into the end notes for the sake of focusing on the most important parts.
> 
> Also don't judge me for cheating in this chapter I was just very done with not having updated this in so freakin long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iYPiABToSo) of the chapter. (but honestly the whole fkn hamilton mixtape is what i was listening to so hey)
> 
> The term "sweet-piece" is loosely stolen from/based on its usage in Broken Bones by Lady_Kit.

“Stop that.”

The other Sans glanced over at him, raising a brow in confusion. “I’m not doing anything.”

Sans huffed, steepling his fingers as he glared at the other from the seat he had taken right across from the couch. “I can see you trying to untie your hands. Stop.”

He flinched, then sighed, removing his hands from where they had been “casually” tucked into his side. Sans hummed slightly, somewhat impressed with the other’s honesty. Most would try to deny the fact that they were trying to escape. He supposed, for that, he would refrain from collaring him to the closet door. It wasn’t as though the smaller skeleton would be able to escape his bonds anyway. Sans had tied them himself.

“How did you get here?”

The other sighed in frustration, but kept his eyes focused on the ground. “I told you, I don’t  _ know _ .”

“Why do you have my face? And my name?”

“I. Don’t. Know.”

“Do you know  _ anything _ ?”

Those too-bright eyelights flicked up to meet his, colored by fear, approaching anger. “Nothing at all, about anything. Can I go home now?”

Sans leaned back in his chair, gesturing in the direction of the secret door in the closet. “By all means. Fix that machine, and you can go home.”

He was given a disbelieving look. “Wha-- Do I  _ look _ like a theoretical physicist to you? Or a mechanical engineer?”

“No, you look like a child in a costume, playing at unretrievable power.”

“And  _ you _ look like you never got out of your seventh-grade emo phase! Seriously, untie me and let me go back to my brother! What did I even do to you?” The other’s chest was heaving, the look in his eyes definitely more angry than afraid now. “Am I a replacement? Your new  _ property _ ? You are so--”

The slap had been delivered before Sans had really had a chance to think about it, stemming more from his anger than a real, conscious decision to punish the words the other had spoken. Despite the temporary lapse, he found the sight of the shocked tears in the other’s sockets...satisfying, almost. Definitely worth the anger heightening his senses, pushing him just to dust the little bastard and be done with it all. As the smaller reached up shakily, pressing the fingers of one hand into the place where Sans’ clawed phalanges had left shallow scrapes in the bones, he leaned forward, planting his hands on the couch on either side of the smaller’s shoulders and putting his face within an inch of the other’s noseridge. 

Trembling blue eyelights met his as he growled, the menace and cruelty behind the action making the other shrink back slightly, though his expression soon hardened, and he lifted his chin. The fear, however, was still present in the shaking of his fingers and the steady shrinking of his eyelights. 

“I  _ will not _ tolerate any disrespect, especially from a weak, useless  _ copy _ like you. Do not think for a  _ second _ that I will not kill you, no matter if you are the only way to return my mutt to me. A piece of trash like him is not worth putting up with your  _ bullshit _ .”

The little blue bastard opened his mouth slightly, looking as though he wanted to say something, but he closed it a second later. 

Good.

Sans settled back into his chair, folding his arms again and glaring down at his copy. “Now,” he said, even the single word making it very clear that he expected a real answer. “How did you end up here?”

The other glared at him, but it lacked the determination of before, and he sighed before opening his mouth. Sans was almost...disappointed. He had expected the other to last a bit longer before giving in. 

“Papy, my brother, was working on the machine. It looks just like yours but more...broken. He doesn’t get the motivation to work on it very often. I went downstairs to tell him lunch was ready and there was...another Papyrus. Probably your…” He glanced down, then sighed again before continuing. “Anyway, he was really upset. I think he was trying to get away, but Papy had him held in his blue magic, trying to calm him down. There was this big, round light right by the machine, and when I came over to try to help Papy, the other one got scared, I think, and knocked me away. I fell backwards, towards the round light, and the next thing I knew, you were there.”

Sans hummed thoughtfully. If he could repair the machine, it was likely he could set out for this...alternate world. His mutt would be returned to him, and it sounded as though he could take this little bastard’s brother, as well. If he was anything like his alternate, he would be weak, easy to break.

“And I suppose you’re going to claim you don’t know how to fix the machine?”

The other shook his head, and Sans sighed, deciding not to press that issue. He stood, suddenly, deciding he was tired of this line of questioning. He tried not to smirk at the way the other flinched at the sudden movement. 

“Are you going to kill me?”

Sans glanced down at him, studying him consideringly. 

“No. Not as long as you don’t prove to be more trouble than you’re worth.”

His copy didn’t look as though he entirely sure he should like that answer. Good. He seemed to be learning. 

~~~

“What should I call you?”

Sans turned to the other, looking over his shoulder from the papers he was rifling through, trying to decide if any of these jobs were worth taking without Papyrus there to back him up. He would need... _ something _ to bribe that asshole scientist with to figure out that damn machine, though, and he wasn’t sure that his last payment would be enough to satisfy that greedy bitch. “What?”

The smaller Sans was sitting on the end of the couch, knees tucked up to his chest and arms wrapped around his legs. He’d been very quiet for the last few hours, probably shocked out of speaking by last night’s threat to break his fingers off if he successfully untied his rope again. 

“We have the same name,” he said quietly, meeting Sans’ eyes despite the obvious fear in his own. “It gets confusing, in my mind. I don’t…” he sighed, rubbing his hands along the cloth of his pants. “It’d be nice to have one confusing thing cleared up.”

Sans raised a brow, studying him carefully. Then, shrugging and turning back to his papers, he said, “Call me whatever the hell you want. I suppose I should give you a new name as well, since I can’t very well continue to call you ‘little blue bastard’.”

When the other spoke, there was something coloring his voice that Sans didn’t quite understand. “Well, how about Blue, for short. Wouldn’t want to change it up too much.” He looked over his shoulder again, narrowing his eyes. Blue had the corner of one mouth quirked up, his fear momentarily replaced with something far softer. “And I think I’ll call you...Razz.”

“...Razz?”

“Yeah!” Blue’s mouth was curving more, eyelights wavering into the shape of stars for a split second. “Like...razzmatazz!” 

At that, he turned the rest of the way around, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the other. “What the fuck is a razzmatazz?”

Blue was fully smiling right now, and he let go of his legs to make a sort of shaking motion with his hands, fingers spread out wide. “The old ‘razzle-dazzle’. Since you’re all sunshine and rainbows, you know.”

He cocked a brow, feeling his soul grow...something. Lighter, maybe? That didn’t make any sense. “Are you making a joke?”

“I would  _ never _ .”

“Hm.”

He turned back to his papers, wondering at the sensation running through him. It was a stupid name. He should hit him again, or break his fingers or his arm. Remind him of his place. After all, if he was planning to keep this one around, he shouldn’t let him forget exactly where he stood. 

_ Razz _ …

Well. He supposed it wasn’t the worst he could have come up with. And it  _ would _ clear up his thoughts, just as the other had said. 

He decided to let this one slide.

~~~

The knock on the door came just as Razz was finishing dinner. Grumbling under his breath, he tossed his fork down on the table, crossing the kitchen and emerging into the living room. Blue looked up from where he was picking quietly at his food, and Razz glared at him like it was his fault this bitch had no sense of time or courtesy. Blue quickly ducked his head, but Razz still caught the glare he directed at his plate. 

He was quickly tiring of his attitude. 

Crossing to the door, he wrenched it open, glaring up at the figure on the other side. She glared right back, shoulders set in a hard line even as her hands were stuffed in the pockets of her lab coat almost casually. 

“What the fuck did you want that meant I had to come all the way out here?” she grumbled, and he rolled his eyes, stepping aside to let her in. She stepped in like she owned the place, but he could see the way her fins were flattened against the side of her head. Undyne was afraid of him. 

Good. 

He shut the door behind her before following her into the room. “Just as I  _ said _ , if you’d been listening, I need a piece of machinery repaired. Papyrus has disappeared through it, and left something useless behind. I want my mutt back.” It was said matter-of-factly, as though he’d misplaced a screwdriver, and he saw Blue glaring at him out of the corner of his eye as he focused on his guest. 

Undyne smirked, looking over at the couch, and Razz unwillingly followed her gaze to focus fully on the furniture and its single, unhappy occupant.

“Who is this?” she asked, looking him up and down as though he were a prized specimen. “He looks a bit like--”

“Something useless,” Razz cut her off, huffing impatiently before turning to the closet, opening the panel so that they could proceed through. 

She didn’t follow immediately, and he looked back at her, frowning. She was still watching Blue, and Razz could see him looking back, making eye contact like an idiot. 

“He’s a cute little thing, isn’t he? You could make yourself some real G if you wanted to sell a pretty sweet-piece like him, even just for a few hours.”

Razz turned his gaze back to Blue, considering. The smaller skeleton was looking between them in disbelief, mouth opening and closing as though he was processing the term and what it must mean. Razz hummed in thought, then grinned. 

There was nothing joyful in his smile as he said, “I’ll have to keep that in mind. Now come  _ on _ .”

He didn’t miss the fear in Blue’s eyelights as they turned to the closet. In fact, he relished in it. It was about time.

~~~

Blue hugged his knees to his chest, staring blankly at nothing.  _ Sweet-piece? _

He didn’t want to think about it, he decided.

It wasn’t long before the two emerged from the basement, Razz and this version of Undyne that he was barely able to recognize. There was just... _ something _ in her eyes, something wholly unfamiliar and desperately terrifying. He found himself not wanting to look at her any longer than he absolutely had to. He wanted to see  _ Undyne _ . He’d forgotten to text her, the day before yesterday, to let her know that he’d finished that anime she’d let him borrow. He hoped she’d just take it home, if he never c--

He shook his head violently, turning his attention to the way his alternate was now stomping back from the door, murder in his eyes. 

When had Undyne gone?

He was jolted from the question when Razz was suddenly in front of him, and he gasped as his soul was grabbed in the hold of Razz’s blue magic and his wrists were seized. He nearly screamed out, the unexpected motion stirring up panic in him before he realized that the other was just untying his wrists. 

“W-wha--”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Blue obeyed, closing his mouth obediently and considering, for a moment, what would happen if he tried to run once he was untied. Where would he go? Who would be better than...than…

“Listen to me carefully,” Razz said, tossing the ropes aside and seizing Blue by the collar of his shirt, yanking him up to his feet so that they were face-to-face. “You will come with me, if only because I do not trust my current fortifications to prevent that bitch from coming back to get you anyway.”

“She--”

“She wanted your services in exchange for her own, but I do not subscribe to sexual slavery, no matter how few hours it would last. It would undoubtedly damage your mental state, judging by your LV, and you are no good to me broken. Am I correct in assuming that you have not engaged in combat?”

_ Services? _ “Combat?”

Razz sighed impatiently, using his grip on the other’s shirt to drag him across the room, stopping to rifle through a drawer. “Yes,  _ combat _ . Have you ever fought for your life?”

Blue could only shake his head, thoroughly overwhelmed. What had  _ happened _ to this universe, that it was like this now? What had gone so awfully, terribly  _ wrong _ ?

“No, I--I can’t even really get training, I...is she...are we going to have to fight her? Why did she leave?”

“No, you idiot. I offered my services in place of whatever she would have done with you.”

_ What _ ?

Razz continued, ignoring the appalled look on Blue’s face. “She has a rival, apparently, that she would like taken care of. I would  _ prefer  _ to have someone who knows what they’re doing to assist me, but in this case, you will stay back, and you will not involve yourself.” He turned back from the drawer, a leather collar held in his hand. 

It took Blue a moment to put together why he had a  _ collar _ . As soon as it clicked, he let out a strangled gasp, flailing back and catching Razz in the side of the jaw with the flat of his hand. Razz growled, setting the collar aside to seize his other arm, tugging him forward so that their faces were within an inch of one another. 

“ _ Stop. It.” _

Shaking, Blue forced himself to comply. “I’m not your--I’m not gonna--you’re not--you can’t put that--no!”

He was shaken, hard, and Razz grumbled irritably, “It’s not permanent, you fucking idiot. There’s no reason for that except to display my control over you, and it’s clear that you are not under my control yet. But if we are separated outside of this house, you’re not likely to stay so sunshine and saccharine.”

Blue was breathing heavily, and he could feel his arms trembling as he stared into the other’s face. How the hell was  _ this _ any version of him?

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” the other grumbled, his purple eyelights shifting slightly before he let go with one hand, grabbing the collar as his grip on the other arm tightening to keep Blue from running off. He had it fastened before Blue could really react beyond more shivering, and he fought to keep tears out of his eyes. His free hand shakily rose to brush against the leather pressing into his neck, but Razz pushed it aside, glaring at him. 

“Now, if you’re done being a dramatic little bastard, I have a job to do. Do you need to cry or something or are you capable of walking a few yards?”

Blue glared at him, silently willing the other to trip over his own feet and land in a pit of piranhas. They wouldn’t be able to do much to a skeleton, but the mental imagery was making him feel marginally better.

~~~

( _ Author’s Note: I have been working on this chapter for far too long, and I am just very done with this part. From here until the next break, the writing is functioning more as a summary than a story. The story will kick back in after that point.) _

Razz and Blue venture from the house, Blue with a collar and Razz with the leash attached to it. He leads him through town, not quite seeking for attention but receiving it anyway. Blue finds himself floored by the differences from his world, the way people shrink away from those that are bigger and the way magic seems to be flaring as an insult or a threat. He is, to say the least, terrified. But Blue is prideful and stubborn, and he always has been, so he presses on, sticking close to the known threat of Razz. 

They finally reach their destination, and Razz quite suddenly dives off of the path, dragging Blue with him and slinking through the trees. 

“What--are we ambushing someone?” Blue hissed. 

Razz spared him a glare, then went back to sneaking through the trees as though he’d been born to do it. Blue is horrified, semi-concerned with his honor and his safety, but forces himself silent. He knows, technically, what they’re going to do, but he’s in denial. He’s never actually seen someone dusted before, and he can’t  _ really _ believe that that might be what they’re going to do. 

They finally catch sight of their target, and Razz seems to just completely remove himself, magic gathering and eyelights flaring, and Blue is in complete awe of the pure power he can feel. 

Right up until Razz makes a move to kill.

Blue grabs his arm, throwing off his attack and managing to alert the target to their presence. Razz is  _ pissed _ , and is going to attempt to make a stand, but Blue keeps throwing him off by grabbing his arms and telling him to stop. Finally, Razz makes a tactical decision and books a retreat, blocking off the target’s path and managing to escape with Blue. 

He drags Blue home quite violently, the collar nearly choking him, and Blue is trying to get him to stop but Razz is  _ not _ listening. He is beyond pissed, and Blue can’t help but notice everyone disappearing from their path as they pass by. He wonders what exactly happened in the past to make everyone in Snowdin so afraid of Razz. 

When they get home, Razz throws him in through the door, Blue landing pretty painfully on the floor and sort of scrambling backwards so the wall is at his back while Razz locks the door behind them. Then he turns on him, and Blue can see his magic flaring through his whole body, purple lighting up his eyes and his body and there are  _ waves _ of killing intent flowing off of him. Blue doesn’t think he’s ever been more terrified, but he lifts his chin and puts on a brave face. 

“What the  _ hell _ were you thinking?”

“Why would you  _ kill _ someone?!”

And Razz just  _ stops _ . “What else would I do?! That was the price I was given, and now it’s fucked up. This was the only way to return you to your brother, to return Papyrus to this house!”

“SO?!” 

Razz takes a half-step back when he sees the look on Blue’s face before he catches himself, glaring down at the smaller monster. Blue didn’t seem to care whether he was surprised or not, he was just angry. “Why would I care if you can get me back to my brother if all you’re going to do is take him and keep me?! I’ll gladly stay here for the rest of my life if it means you can’t ruin and break him like you did to your brother!”

Razz just looks at him for a moment, glaring heavily and taking deep breaths to stop himself from blanking out and doing something he knew he would regret later. Then he turns and stomps up the stairs to his room, leaving Blue in the living room, untied and uncollared.

~~~

Razz opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling for a long moment before heaving a sigh. Nightmares. It was really too bad that he needed to sleep to function. He was growing tired of it. 

The corner of his mouth twitched, just for a moment. 

He sighed again. Wordplay had been more of an entertainment of Papyrus’s. He had never told him to stop it, because he knew it kept him partially in control of his own mind, at times. He supposed he enjoyed it too. Occasionally. Not that he would ever let that be known. 

He sat up carefully, tossing his blankets aside and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He winced as his feet hit the floor, a previously unnoticed injury making itself suddenly known. Propping his elbows on his knees, he leaned forward, letting his face fall into his hands. It had been a stupid move, leaving Blue untethered. He was the only real connection he had to the mutt, other than the machine, and he really had no doubt that after the events of the previous day, the other had wandered off. And if he had left the house…

Well, Razz supposed that if he was able to locate his dust, he could let Undyne study it. Perhaps that would help to undercut the inevitable grudge from his failure to deliver on their deal. 

He should go find the dust, before someone…

Well. 

He stood carefully, stripping his shirt off over his head as he crossed the room to his closet. He resisted looking down, already aware of the new scrapes and not wanting the inevitable bad taste in his mouth that always came with seeing them. They weren’t life threatening. They didn’t matter. 

He changed carefully, clasping on his breastplate and picking up his pauldron. It was harder to put his boots on with his shoulders already covered. 

Emerging from his room carefully, he began to jog down the stairs, rubbing at his eyes again before he opened them, looking around the room with impassivity. Sure enough, the little blue bastard was nowhere to be seen. He sighed, soul clenching for a split second. Now he would have to go--

“Razz.”

He jumped, spinning to see Blue standing in the bathroom doorway. He looked tired, but Razz realized, all at once, that he had looked that way pretty much since he’d been tied to the couch in the first place. 

He was still here. 

He was...using the bathroom?

“Don’t give me that look,” Blue mumbled, probably thinking it was too low for Razz to hear. Then, louder, “I was looking for medicine. My arms got scratched up pretty good from all the…” he trailed off, looking at the ground, then looked back up with a frown. “Anyway. I was going to make breakfast. Do you want some? You look you were about to go, but--”

“What the hell are you still doing here?”

Blue looked confused, for a moment. “Where else would I go?”

Razz supposed he had a point. It really had been a bit blind of him to believe that the other would be stupid enough to leave. 

“Do you think even the worst person can change?” He looked up, making a face as he realized that Blue was descending the stairs, watching him as though he was something intriguing and previously unseen as he spoke. “That everyone can be a good person, if they just try?”

Razz snorted, setting his pauldron on the back of the couch and beginning to unbuckle his breastplate. If he wasn’t going out to search for Blue, he wasn’t leaving for patrol for at least an hour or two. “With the right strength of will, I’m sure change is possible.” He set the pieces of his breastplate aside, tilting his head to one side and regarding Blue carefully. “But you have to want it. I can assure you that, as hypothetical as I’m sure this question is, I have no desire to act in such a glacé manner.” 

Blue is just... _ looking  _ at him, thoughtful and quiet. Razz doesn’t know how to respond to a look like that. Then he opens his mouth, and Razz huffs, cutting him off before he can say whatever mind-numbingly hopeful thing he was about to say. 

“Check me.”

“...what?”

“You heard me,” he says impatiently, holding his arms out to the side and baring his shirt-covered chest, though it is technically not physically necessary. “Fucking check me, then look me in the eye and tell me you really believe I will  _ ever _ want to be ‘good’.”

Blue looks at him nervously, then glances down, eyes lighting with his magic for a split second as Razz feels the sensation of being Checked wash over him.

It’s easy to tell, the exact second Blue reads his LV.

Horror crossed his face, eyes widening as they shifted up to meet Razz’s. He was filled with satisfaction, preparing to open his mouth and reaffirm the fact that Blue could throw his ideals out the--

“You have 8 LV until you’re irredeemable, Razz.”

His teeth clenched as he stared in surprise at the stubborn expression on the other’s face, his arms lowering until they hovered by his sides. “What?”

“You’re at 12. You can still be better.” Blue took a step forward, bringing him within a foot or two of the other. Razz admired the movement for a moment, appreciating the bravery that must have taken. 

Still stupid, but brave. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this exchange, Blue gains some confidence, and Razz, having more trust that Blue will not run away, decides to stop tying him up. Instead, he makes it very threateningly clear exactly what will happen if Blue ever leaves this house. He then has to call Undyne as inform her that the job has been failed, and she is furious. He doesn't want to listen to her, so he just hangs up on her and continues on. Over time, through little things, Blue and Razz start learning to tolerate each other, but that is about it. It doesn't get much bigger than Blue usually having some food made when Razz gets back from patrols, and Razz strengthening the defenses around the house so that he doesn't get killed while he's out. He's in the process of attempting to get on Alphys's good side so that he can get back in to Undyne and work out a new deal, but it's not going great. By the beginning of Chapter 3, Blue has been in this universe for about three weeks.


End file.
